The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-30
WHAT SOME WRITER'S THINK
Western Literary People Meet and Ex-
press Their Views About Things.
Maurice Thompson Denounces Dialect Writ
ing as Unpatriotic-Mrs.B ates's Paper on
Character Painting in Literature.

yesterday morning at Plymouth Church. in
their third convention. with about forty mem
bers in attendance. Maurice Thompson is the
president of the association, and Mrs. M. l..
Andrews secretary. Among those in attendance
are Dr. John c. Rdpath, Greencastle; Hon. Will
Cumback, Grecnsburg; Judge and Mrs. G. +.
McNutt, Terre Haute; Mrs. Mary A. Leayitt,
Mrs. Ella Wagner, Vernon; A. 81. Harryman,
Chicago Current; Rev. r. F. Brewington.
Knightstown; George Cardwiil, Miss Mary E.
Cardwill, New Albany; Mrs. D. NJ. Jordan,
Richmond; Clarence Ladd Davis, East Saginaw,
Mich; Miss Eleanor Stackhouse. Miss Evaleen
Stein Capt DeWtt W alrace and daughter, La
fayette; DIR. b. W. Taylor, Terre Haute; DR.. j.
N. Matthews, Mason, H.; J. c. Ochltree, Dan
vile: Mrs. E. D, L. Thompson, Winchester; Miss
Mann. Miss Mamie s. sPaden. Cincinnati; W. D.
Foulke,. Richmond; Ben. S. Parker and wife,
Knightstown; Mrs, Anna Agnew, Herman Rose.
Jeffersonville; Mr. and Mrs. Clarence A. Bus
kirk. Princeton; Fl. c. Fellows, Will Robert
Williams. DR.. William c. Cooper. Mrs Emma
Carleton, Mrs. Ada Lecklide-. John T. Major
ney. Mrs. Margaret Holmes, Mrs. L. May
Wheeler, Mrs. Hattie A. Prunk, Mrs.
Mena Griffin Ogan, Miss Belle Marsee,
Mrs. Lovina Thompson, Indianapolis; Will
lam P Needham, Winchester. The last-named
among the assembled authors, his book,
.'Phantasmagorean Theology" having just come
from the press of Carbon & Hollenbeck of this
city. "Phantasmagorean Theology" is novel and
interesting the views of the author being alto
gether original in expression. The concluding
pages of the book contain a number of original
poems.
The first paper read was on ''The Relations of
the Newspaper to Literature" by Mr.. G. G.
Matthews He took the position that the bust
ness of the newspaper was primarily to supply
A. T~~ Ne L ind
In the discussion that followed Mr. Parker dis
cussed the country paper and disparaged the use
of plate matter. Mr.. Buskirk insisted that the
newspapers, to a considerable extent. created the
demand for such things as they filled their col
umps with. In this connection Mr.. Buskirk
spoke of the attention given by the papers to
and Rave also spoke briefly on the matter under
discussion. Herman Rave followed with poem
President Thompson spoke of the patriotism
of literature. and his address was largely plea
for protection of American literature. Mr.
Thompson took a tilt at dialect, and refused to
admit that socalled dialect literature, of which
the country is now getting a surfeit, is of high
order, and that he could not accept it rs the
true note or as the highest reach Of the Amer
lean strain in literary art. He said: 1--WE are
not nation of dialect yawpers. AS people,
we do not believe that American humor borrows
any excellence or any real acceleration of cur
rent from bad spelling or hideous pronuncla-
ton; and yet orr magazines and newspapers are
too often guilty of presentin our literature
coarse joke, told by ourselves at the expense of
our own dignity. / 10 not say that what we are
pleased to call dale literature ought to disap-
pear, but l do say that its supremacy In our
published writings is the exponent of total
lack of patriotism in our literary life, for. If we
were sincerely American in our literary work,
we should delight il nobler strain of art when
attempting to represent American life and
American aspirations"
At the afternoon session Mr. Cumback read
a paper Duties of Writers with Respect to
Morality and Patriotism" The essayist was of
fho
is higher order of manhood that too much at
tention and worship have been given to the in
dvdua genius and not enough to the ordinary
man. If the writer would know his fellowm
to guide them he must honestly and dill
gently study the mysteries of his own being
The writers who have touched our hearts and
have filled us with high resolves to attain ttsy
full stature of n complete manhood are those who
have been enabled, by this selfknowledge, to
exhibit on the printed page the very emotions
that we have neglected to cherish and formulate
into thought AS we ascend this mount of in
SEPARATION that another has builded for US we
come nearer the source of all truth: and new
life fills and thrills our very souls The writer
should know himself and his fellow men
to be able skilfully portray the vulgarity of
vice to lend new and attractive lusrer to the
charm of right-living. Then may progress be
expected, and hope for a better civilization.
Clarence Laid Davis, Of East Saginaw Mich,
followed, taking, in the main, the same ground
as Mr.. Cumback, but in an exceedingly ornate
Miss Cardwill, of New Alb any. read an ex-
celient paper on "Models of English Prose and
Verse;" and Captain Dewitt Wallace, of Lafay-
cite, read a paper on international Copyright"
which was able legal, historical and statisti-
cal presentation of the subject Hon. W. d.
Foulke led in the discussion that followed. He
believed with Wendell Phillips that a govern
ment could always afford to do right, and that in
the long the line of duty is the line of policy,
though at first an international copyright would
not be to the national interests of the country.
Mrs. Mary A. Leavitt read an original poem,
''The White Ribbon Army" and was followed
by Mrs. Margaret " Bates with a paper on
Character Painting in Literature" She said
in concluding her paper. "What words are
strong enough to describe a lofty scorn of base
action2 What scathing enough to reach an in
ferior enemy? Who can truly express the exal-
tation of a look of conscious innocences and
words meaning fright are but shadows compared
to the start of detected guilt Character is not
SO much in the words people are made to say in
stories in the manner of saying" Mrs. Bates
illustrates this as follows
st is not necessary for W1lkie Collins to say
Count Fosco is great villain, nor does the
Count himself say anything exceedingly viii
famous to Sir Percival Clyde. What he does
say is:
"Percival do you care about your wifel
"Fosco that's downright question.
Il am downright man, and repeat it.
why the devil do you look az me in that way?
You won't answer me? Well then, let us say your
wife dies before the summer is out
drop it. Fosco.
Let say your wife dies
drop it, l tell you
I'm that you would gain twenty thousand
pounds, and you would lose
IT should lose the chance Of three thousand year.
'The remote chance, Percival-the remote chance
only.
"And to mis- further speculations and insinua-
ons, Sir Percival Clyde exclaims
Don't look at In that way I won't have it!
What with your looks and your questions, upon my
soul, you make my flesh creep
Your 1esnl Does flesh conscience in En-
ylishl speak of your wifes death speak of a
disability. Why not! The respectable lawyers who
your deeds your willslook the
leaths of living people in the face. Do lawyers make
your flesh creep? Why should |?
Exceedingly pertinent questions; and Perci-
val Clyde. the irascible the by means good
man, in want of money. not in love with his
wife, is handled at will by the corpulent, easy
tempered Italian. Fosco is of the kind whom
Cesar wished to have about him
Fat, sleek headed and such sleep O. nights
while the lesser villain had Cassiuss
Lean and hungry look.